


the brightest star

by Amy_Stark117



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Inspired by Ghosts We See, Knights - Freeform, Light Angst, Reader-Insert, a fanfic of a fanfic everyone lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amy_Stark117/pseuds/Amy_Stark117
Summary: Kawanishi Taichi is a simple man, in most regards.He likes the smell of the broths that drift from taverns, the crisp feel to the air at dawn when the sun rises over the mountains, the sound of children playing around the glorious Hyperion tree, the stories that the geezers like to tell to any unfortunate passerby, the ladies that dance barefoot on the sea shore with their long skirts and bright smiles. He likes it all. In a land that has seen many wars and bloodshed, Taichi likes to look for the things that make the world a brighter place.He had almost lost that when the Rot took hold of his body, his life, his soul.And then the brightest thing of all had appeared to him, and he found something new to like.You.(A 'GHOSTS WE SEE' INSPIRED FICLET)
Relationships: Kawanishi Taichi/Reader
Comments: 25
Kudos: 123





	the brightest star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Renesis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renesis/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Ghosts We See](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838729) by [Renesis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renesis/pseuds/Renesis). 



> HEYYYY
> 
> I wrote this lil ficlet bc i felt all up in my Kawanishi feels after reading this amazing fic called Ghosts We See by the lovely and super talented Renesis!!  
>  i blame her for my sudden kawanishi brainrot bc of her absolutely perfect fic - if you haven't read it before, you need to start it right now omg it is like the lotr but with haikyuu boys, i love it so much!!! you might be a little confused at what's going on in this fic or why kawanishi is acting differently so i would advise you to check out her fic and come back here!
> 
> SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 24 INCOMING!

Kawanishi Taichi is a simple man, in most regards.

He likes to laugh and smile with his friends on cool evening nights, the nights when even the Crown Prince of the esteemed White Eagle Empire himself, Ushijima Wakatoshi, allows himself to shed the title and be the carefree and happy man he was meant to be. On those nights, his  _ favourite  _ nights, his cheeks hurt from the force of his grins, his stomach aches from the laughter that bellies out of it non stop, and he feels as light as the sea breeze that drifts in from the ocean.

He performs the duty he was given as protector of the Crown Prince with hard work and professionalism that is expected of the Empire’s Royal Guard. Because while he enjoys the nights where he can be comfortable with the future heir to the throne, he still has a job to do, to guard this man with his life, whatever may come his way. To not let one hair on his head fall out of place. To serve and protect is all he’s ever known since he joined the knighthood as a child, and he will not shirk his duties, no matter how much he yearns to relax and have a laugh with his comrades.

He likes the smell of the broths that drift from taverns, the crisp feel to the air at dawn when the sun rises over the mountains, the sound of children playing around the glorious Hyperion tree, the stories that the geezers like to tell to any unfortunate passerby, the ladies that dance barefoot on the sea shore with their long skirts and bright smiles. He likes it all. In a land that has seen many wars and bloodshed, Taichi likes to look for the things that make the world a brighter place.

He had almost lost that when the Rot took hold of his body, his life, his  _ soul.  _

And then the brightest thing of all had appeared to him, and he found something new to like.

_ You.  _

He’d been half delirious when you appeared to him - the Rot had its dark clutches wrapped around his heart, ready to drag him to the dirt beneath the green grass of Aquila so he could meet his maker much too early. It felt like no time at all until he was strapped to the bed and left to rot, quite literally, while he watched the helpless looks on his friends faces as they tried to find a solution to save him, to save  _ their friend.  _ But as time passed, as each remedy concocted by Shirabu failed and as each spell cast by the expert healers ended with no results, his hope began to drain.

For the first time in his life, Taichi could not see the brighter side of the situation he found himself in. All he could see was the darkness creeping into the edges of his vision and obscuring the tear stained faces of his friends, his family. Hope and happiness had fled his heart and paved the way for pain and misery to creep in. He knew he would meet his end soon. And there was nothing he could do about it, but to accept his fate.

When you had walked in the door, he almost hadn’t noticed, too numb to hear past the wailing of the Rot beneath his skin. You hovered over him with uncertainty and fear in your eyes, much like the others before you, and so he thought nothing much of you. Just another face in a sea of failure. When he saw the tears in your eyes, the desperation on your voice and body, begging for the Rot to be healed, he felt sympathetic. He understood your frustrations better than anyone else. And still, you failed, and he stared at the ceiling, resigned to his early death and thinking about all that he would leave behind. 

But the door to his prison opened once more the next day, and in you strolled with your Aoba Knight and the Crown Prince behind you, a look of determination on your visage. It was weak, and could blow off your face with the gentlest of breezes, but it was there nonetheless. He could not muster up the strength to lift his head at this point, but when you spoke, promising  _ “I’m going to heal you, okay?”,  _ he allowed the tiniest spark of hope back into his heart, despite the doubt flooding his mind.

And then the unthinkable happened - you actually  _ healed him. _

Where others failed, you triumphed. With happy tears and shaking legs, you accomplished what you said you would, and it was like colour returned to his world. Suddenly the grey of his ceiling wasn’t so dull anymore, the sounds of his friends now sobbing with relief instead of misery wasn’t so muted. Suddenly the dread in his body was gone, and the heaviness in his heart was lifted.

Suddenly he was looking into the eyes of his saviour.

Suddenly, he was falling a little bit in love.

Shirabu had clucked his tongue in dismay when a still frail (but thankfully  _ alive _ ) Kawanishi had begged to see you off before you went back to the fabled Kingdom of Aoba, but acquiesced at the pleading look he had shown him. Who knows when Taichi would see you again? He just  _ had  _ to see you and thank you for all that you’ve done for him, a stranger from another kingdom.

And stepping onto the roof of the tower that would send you back, he felt near starstruck, as if looking upon some divine being, silhouetted by the rising sun ushering in the dawn and cast in an ethereal glow by the light that creeps over the mountains.

His heart stalls in his chest, and then starts again, in double the speed than before.

He ignores the faces of the people around him, focuses only on yours and your pretty smile (a face he had only seen once or twice when the other you was still roaming the land), and allows Shirabu to hobble him closer to you.

And when he takes hold of your hands, so soft and gentle beneath his own that had been hardened over the years as a Royal Guard, he realises that these hands that seem so small compared to his are a pair he would not mind holding until the end of his days.

When you smile at him, a smile bright enough to rival the shine of a star and lovelier than the flowers in the Kingdom of Aoba, he thinks - no, he  _ knows  _ that it is a beautiful sight that he would give anything to wake up next to every day.

His heart thunders and his tummy swirls a storm of fluttering butterflies when he hears your voice, a perfect match to the body that owns it. And when you cry tears of joy for  _ him,  _ for his health and happiness, well-

He thinks if he fell off the side of this tower right now, the fall would still not be as hard as how fast he has fallen for you right now.

_ “Know that you have my unyielding belief and support. Should there be anything you need, please, do not hesitate to ask it of me.” _

And he meant that. With his body healed of the Rot by the kindness of this wonderful being standing before him, he would gladly repay that debt with his life. As much as he would defend the Prince with his life, he would give up his heart and soul if it meant seeing you safe, smiling and blushing as deeply as you were right now as he tenderly kissed the back of your hand.

And because he is Kawanishi Taichi, he couldn’t let you leave without at least one cheeky remark, even with the risk of offending the Prince himself, silly words spoken with a hidden underlying truth to them.

_ “You can ask for my hand in marriage right now and I would gladly throw away my family name and take yours!” _

It’s not a complete lie, as silly as it sounds. Your name is quite beautiful ,and if it meant being tied to your love, then he would forsake his name quicker than a flash of lightning.

You gave him back his life when he thought it lost. He will never forget that for as long as he now lives.

But when you grinned at him, telling him  _ especially  _ to take care, he knew he was a goner.

Kawanishi Taichi likes a lot of things.

He likes the touch of his featherbed after a long day of training, the indignant look on Goshiki’s face when he makes a joke at his expense, the flower crowns his niece gives him when he visits his family. 

He likes his friends, his home, his life.

And Kawanishi Taichi likes you most of all.


End file.
